


Virus in the Varia

by TheQuirkyJaiByrd



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Comedy, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-02-20 03:43:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22075681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQuirkyJaiByrd/pseuds/TheQuirkyJaiByrd
Summary: "Saying that being the Head Doctor of the Vongola was tough was an understatement. Izanami Tanaka, the Head Doctor for the Vongola Tenth Generation, could attest to this. She had gone through what could only be described as a “shit show” during her tenure as the Head Doctor. Taking care of the heroic, reckless men and women of the Vongola Famiglia was an exhausting effort, especially when it came to the Guardians..."
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's back after falling off the face of the fucking Earth for forever and a day? This gal! Very excited to finally be working on this. I'm sorry it took so long to get here; life, in short, clapped my ass. But now, I'm back with the first chapter~! This chapter might seem a little slow, but bear with me; things will pick up!  
> If you want to see my first work, The Sick Doctor, follow this link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13474053/chapters/30892500  
> I think it's a great read and it gives a little more depth to this story line, but no worries if you want to skip it. Virus in the Varia is its own work.  
> Now, on to the story! Please enjoy!

Saying that being the Head Doctor of the Vongola was tough was an understatement. Izanami Tanaka, the Head Doctor for the Vongola Tenth Generation, could attest to this. She had gone through what could only be described as a “shit show” during her tenure as the Head Doctor. Taking care of the heroic, reckless men and women of the Vongola Famiglia was an exhausting effort, especially when it came to the Guardians. The Guardians were constantly causing grief for the twenty-seven-year-old doctor. Like the previous year, when Izanami tried to get a simple blood sample from Mukuro, she ended up in the hospital for two weeks with a leg wound, two broken ribs, and a thoroughly shattered arm. 

In addition to this, Izanami put up with being attacked, kidnapped, and hunted by rival mafias for her knowledge on the well-being on the Vongola Guardians and their boss on a daily basis. However, even with the undeniable chaos in her life, Izanami did experience moments of normalcy, like the one she was experiencing now.

“Here’s some more cases that need reviewing.”

Anger streaked across Izanami’s chocolate brown face when she heard those words. The doctor looked up from the pile of paperwork she was filling out to glare at the orderly that had the audacity to casually plunk five more case files on top of the already gigantic stack of files. When the orderly locked eyes with Izanami, he jumped, shaken by the dead, indigo eyes that bore into his soul from behind a pair of owlish, cerulean spectacles. 

“I-Is there anything I can, uh, do for you, Doctor Tanaka?” he muttered, his voice starting to fail him under the intense gaze of his superior. 

“Just get the fuck out of my office.” Izanami growled. The orderly squeaked out a “Y-Yes ma’am!” before hightailing it out of the room. Izanami let out a sigh as she looked at the copious amount of work that had piled up. Filling out all this paperwork was going to be a pain in the ass. If there was one thing that she hated more than fighting off goons from rival Mafias, it was the mundane and exacerbating task of catching up on loads of paperwork.

“Only way to get through it is to do it…” Izanami thought to herself. She released another sigh as she readjusted the sloppy bun that loosely contained her aqua locks. Izanami grabbed the mug of lukewarm coffee on her desk. She contemplated adding some alcohol to it to take the edge off as she worked her way through these files. Then, she remembered how horribly she acted when she was drunk. Memories of inebriated fights and arguments began flooding her mind... 

“Ah, fuck that noise…” she murmured to herself as she downed her coffee and dove back into the paperwork. After a few hours of intense concentration, her office phone sounded. Happy for a distraction, she picked up the call.

“Head Doctor of the Vongola, Izanami Tanaka, speaking.”

_ ”Hi, Doctor Tanaka, Rain Guardian Takeshi Yamamoto and Doctor Hitoshi Sato are here.”  _ the pleasant voice of Izanami’s secretary chimed from the other end.  _ “I wasn’t sure whether or not you wanted me to send them in since you were working. I know how you don’t like to be disturbed.” _

“No, that’s fine. Send them in. I need a break.” Izanami said.

_ “They’ll be in shortly.” _

“Thank you.”

A minute or so later, there was a light knock on the door.

“Come in.” Izanami said. 

Yamamoto and Hitoshi entered the room. To onlookers, it appeared as if two Rain Guardians had entered the room; the two of them looked almost identical. However, Izanami could easily tell the difference between the two. Yamamoto had chocolate brown eyes while Hitoshi had vivid green eyes. While Yamamoto had a scar on his chin, Hitoshi had a scar over his left eye. Another feature that differentiated the pair from one another was their facial expressions. Even though Yamamoto had grown more serious over the years, he couldn’t top the seriousness that constantly oozed from Hitoshi in the form of a scowl. Yamamoto could be seen smiling most of the time, but Hitoshi’s face was almost always set in an angered frown, like it was now.

“Hey, Izanami!” Yamamoto chirped. 

“Hi, Izanami.” Hitoshi said.

Izanami rose to her feet and greeted the pair, hugging Yamamoto and giving a kiss to Hitoshi. Hitoshi’s face softened and a small smile crept to his face. 

“That’s so sweet~!” Yamamoto chimed. Hitoshi immediately flushed.

“S-Shut up!” the male doctor said. Izanami smiled. Her and Hitoshi had been together a little under a year, but Hitoshi still blushed profusely whenever they were affectionate towards one another in front of people they knew. This stern guy turning a deep red every time he and Izanami so much as hugged in somebody’s company was incredibly endearing to Izanami and it made her grin every time.

“What are you all doing? I thought the Tenth had you all doing some public health outreach or something.” Izanami said as she plopped down in her swivel chair. Hitoshi took a seat at his own desk and Yamamoto pulled up a chair. 

“We were. We were making plans with Doctor Shamal today.” Yamamoto said.

“How did it go?”

“It went… interesting.” Yamamoto said.

“It went horrible.” 

Yamamoto laughed.

“I’m guessing Shamal was too much?” Izanami said.

“All he did was ask about you and when you’d be dumping me for him.” Hitoshi grumbled.

“This one got so angry!” Yamamoto laughed as he pointed at Hitoshi. “Told Doctor Shamal even if you both broke up, you had higher standards than a pervert and you still wouldn’t call him.”

“Your jealousy warms the cockles of my heart.” Izanami said.

“I-I’m not jealous!” Hitoshi said indignantly.

“That cherry red blush on your face says otherwise.” Izanami commented. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with Shamal and all this.”

The bespectacled doctor motioned to the large mountains of paper that she had powered through.

“You finished all of this?” Yamamoto asked surprised.

“Yep, took me three hours to get through it. Not to mention the waves of patients I had to see to and the meetings I had to attend to this morning.” Izanami sighed. “Today’s been a real pain in the ass.”

“Sorry I couldn’t do more to help you...” Hitoshi said.

“It’s fine. I’m the Head Doctor of the Vongola; this was nothing for me.” Izanami smiled at Hitoshi. “Paperwork is a pain, but at least it’s not animate and trying to grope me. So, thank you for handling Shamal.”

“Do you have anything else you have to do?” Yamamoto inquired.

“Just have to follow up with some of the nurses on patients that were admitted and brief the night shift on what to do.” Izanami said, stretching.

“Do you want some help?” Hitoshi asked. Izanami shook her head no.

“Nah, I’m good. No use in both of us being exhausted.” she said. “You go back home.”

“Remember, dinner is at 7 PM. Ma got off work early today so she’s helping me cook today.” Hitoshi stated. “After dinner, you and me can head out and get ice cream.”

“Hitoshi AND Mama Sato’s cooking plus ice cream? Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Izanami rose to her feet. 

“All right, boys, I’d love to keep chatting, but I got shit to handle, so I need you both to kick rocks.” she stated. The trio exchanged good-byes and the two swordsmen went on their way. Izanami smoothed out her lab coat and pencil skirt before beginning her last round of work. The small doctor thought she would be able to get through it all an hour or so, but, after a Vongola subordinate stumbled in with severe burns, that hour turned into hours. After her new patient was in stable condition and all her other tasks were completed, Izanami ambled out of the hospital unit, completely exhausted. She looked at her phone, checking the time and noticing the five missed calls from Hitoshi.

“10:07 PM? Fuck.” she said as she quickly called Hitoshi’s number. She apologized profusely to the green-eyed swordsman, but he assured her that everything was fine and that she could still come. 

After a brief conversation, Izanami hung up and made her way to the front of the base. She happened to run into Tsuna and Gokudera and a quick discussion revealed that the pair had also had a long day, carrying out intense negotiations to make a rival Mafia family an ally instead. Gokudera offered to drop the doctor off and Izanami jumped at the opportunity, happy to not have to trek to where she needed to be. Izanami and Gokudera said their good-byes to Tsuna and went on their way.

“So where am I dropping you off at?” Gokudera asked, turning on his car and pulling out from his parking spot.

“Hitoshi’s house.” Izanami stated.

“Sato’s home? Isn’t it a little late to be headed over there?” Gokudera asked.

“It is, but they saved me some food. Mama Sato was apparently pretty adamant that I come over and eat.” Izanami said with a shrug.

“ ‘Mama Sato’? Sounds like you’re practically family.”

“It feels like it. I’m over there almost everyday.”

“From a raging drunk to the perfect daughter-in-law. I’m impressed.”

“Yeah, a lot of things have changed.”

Silence fell over the pair as Gokudera rounded a corner. After a few minutes, Izanami spoke up.

“Hey, Hayato…”

“Hm?”

“Do… Do you think I could ever actually be a good daughter-in-law?”

“What?”

“Do you think I could be a good daughter-in-law? Like, do you think you know…” Izanami trailed off. Gokudera’s scowl furrowed.

“What are you talking about, woman?”

“DoyouthinkHitoshiwouldevermarryme?” Izanami spurted out. Gokudera stopped the car. He turned and blankly stared at the doctor.

“What?”

“Do you think Hitoshi would ever… marry me?” Izanami questioned.

“Where the hell is this coming from?” Gokudera asked.

“I just… I don’t know!” Izanami groaned. “I just… love him and he’s just awesome and my parents think he’s just amazing and his family is just great, but I am just kind of a hot fucking mess so I just don’t know!”

Izanami threw her head back and yelled in exasperation. Gokudera lit a cigarette and offered Izanami one. The stressed doctor gladly took the cigarette and took a long drag from it.

“Now… could you calmly tell me what the hell you’re talking about?” Gokudera said.

“I love Hitoshi and I want to be a part of his family and I want him to be a part of my family, but I’m worried that he doesn’t see me as marriage material because he still thinks I’m the same piece of shit drunk I was before.” Izanami explained. 

“Okay, I can actually work with these words.” Gokudera said. “Never would have thought that you of all people would want to be a wife. Guess that’s a testament to your change.”

“But do you think Hitoshi has noticed that?”

“Look, I can’t speak for the guy; I’m not him.” Gokudera said. “What I can say is that he’s not the type of guy to put up with you if he thought you were still a drunk. And the fact that he and his family insist that you come over makes me think that they all think pretty highly of you. Can’t say for sure that there’s wedding bells in the future, but you’ll be stuck with them for awhile.”

Izanami hummed an acknowledgment of Gokudera’s words. She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Gokudera immediately put up his hands to stop her.

“Anymore Sato related questions should be directed to Sato.” he said. “I can’t deal with your emotional angst.”

“You can’t put up with MY emotional angst when I put up with YOUR emotional angst? The audacity.” Izanami said. Gokudera scoffed. 

“I have emotional angst? Yeah right.” he said.

“ ‘I’m worried that the Tenth won’t like this.’ ‘Izanami, what if the Tenth doesn’t agree with this? ‘“ Izanami mocked. “That’s you that I just imitated, by the way.”

“Tch. Whatever.”

“I see the fucking blush on your face. You know I’m right.” 

“Shut up and go bother Sato.”

A small grin crossed Izanami’s face as she put out her cigarette and opened the car door.

“I’ll catch you later, Hayato.” she said, stepping out of the car.

“Night.”

Izanami closed the door and walked up to the Sato family’s house. It was a large, Japanese-style home that housed Hitoshi, his mother, and his five younger siblings. She walked up to the entrance and knocked on the door. After a few moments, Hitoshi opened the door, a smile on his face. 

Izanami turned around, waving a final good-bye to Gokudera, who waved back before driving off.

“Sorry I took so long to get here.” Izanami said as she padded into the genkan with Hitoshi.

“It’s fine. I kept some food warm for you.” Hitoshi said while Izanami removed her shoes. “We’re having tempura.”

“Hm, that’s one of my favorites.” Izanami said. The pair stepped into the house and walked across the tatami mats to the dining area. “Are Mama Sato and your siblings still awake?”

“Nope. Ma has to work in the flower shop and my siblings all have some form of practice in the morning.”

The swordsman motioned for Izanami to sit at the dining table. Izanami plopped down on a cushion while Hitoshi went into the kitchen to grab her food. 

“Do you have anything going on tomorrow afternoon?” Izanami asked. Hitoshi emerged with a tray of shrimp tempura, a variety of vegetables, miso soup, and rice. He placed it in front of Izanami and took a seat next to her while she started eating.

“Well, after our morning rounds, I thought maybe we can go out on a proper date?” Hitoshi suggested. “I’ve only seen you work and come over to eat these past couple weeks.”

“Would you mind a date in the hospital wing? Hibari sent me a message today that his people are coming back from a mission late tomorrow and that there was a lot of injuries. I was wondering if you would mind spending your afternoon helping me prepare the unit for all the new patients.” Izanami said. 

“Then I guess our date will be prepping for patient intake.” Hitoshi stated with a shrug. “Not the most romantic setting, but it’s better than nothing.”

“I appreciate you help.”

“It’s no problem.” Hitoshi said. “Hurry up and finish your dinner. I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?”

Izanami immediately began to scarf down her food. Hitoshi chuckled and stood to his feet. 

“I’ll be right back.” he said as he walked off.

Izanami consumed her food at a frightening pace. Within a couple minutes, her vegetables, tempura, and rice were close to being finished. Hitoshi reappeared once again while Izanami was downing her soup. He held a carton and a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

“I know it’s been a long couple of weeks for you, so I just got you a little pick-me-up. Stargazer lilies and a pint of your favorite chocolate ice cream from the place up the street.” Hitoshi said, placing the flowers and carton on the table.

“Thank you so much!” Izanami chirped.

“This isn’t the end of the surprise, though.” Hitoshi stated. He gently took Izanami’s hands, his intense green eyes gazing deeply into her happy, but still somewhat dead indigo orbs. A blush was slowly spreading to his cheeks. “You know, we’ve been going out for a while and we’ve been through a lot together. So, I just wanted to-... Do… Do you hear the Animal Crossing Theme playing?”

A spark of recognition crossed Izanami’s eyes as she immediately released Hitoshi’s hands and grabbed her cellphone. Tsuna’s caller ID flashed across the screen. The ebony woman mouthed an apology to Hitoshi while she accepted Tsuna’s call.

“Hi, Tenth, what do you need?” 

“ _ I’m sorry to call you so late, but we’re having an emergency right now.” _

“What’s going on?

_ “I can’t discuss details with you over the phone so I’m sending Gokudera to get you.” _

“Didn’t think I’d be seeing him again so soon. Must be pretty serious if he has to pick me up.”

_ “It is. He’s already on his way so be ready to go.” _

“All righty, will do, Tenth.”

_ “Thank you. And sorry for interrupting your evening. I wouldn’t have called if I didn’t need your help.” _

“Don’t worry, I got you. See you in a bit, Tenth.” 

The doctor hung up with the Mafia boss.

“What did he say?” Hitoshi asked. Izanami stood to her feet and Hitoshi did as well.

“He wants me to come in. Apparently there’s something going down.” Izanami replied.

“What’s happening?”

“Don’t know yet. He said he’ll brief me when I get there.” Izanami said. “Do you want to come with me?”

“Sure, I can tag along.” 

The small doctor couldn’t help but notice the sadness that momentarily streaked across Hitoshi’s face.

“I’m really sorry that we got interrupted. What were you going to say?” she asked.

“I-I-I was just going to say that, uh, that I’m proud of how far you’ve come and how far we’ve come and that I love you… I love you so much.” Hitoshi stammered. 

“I love you, too.” Izanami said, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Now, come on, let’s go outside to wait for Hayato.”

“I’ll catch up with you in a second. Have to put the ice cream away so it doesn’t melt.” Hitoshi murmured. Izanami noted the change in Hitoshi’s demeanor, but decided not to push him to give her answers, She simply nodded and went to towards the entrance of the house.

Hitoshi stood perfectly still for a minute or so before letting out a groan of exasperation. He angrily ran his fingers through his hair. He never thought that he would ever be as angry at Tsuna as he was now, but here he was, fuming. The Vongola Boss had just interrupted one of the most important moments in his life. The surprise wasn’t supposed to be flowers, ice cream, and some kind words. No, the real surprise was sitting in the pocket of Hitoshi’s suit. In his pocket was a small, velvety box that contained a silver band with a sapphire in the center. Hitoshi was going to propose to Izanami. 

His original plan was to have Izanami eat dinner with him and his family before taking her to their favorite ice cream joint up the street. After sharing a sundae or a shake, Hitoshi was going to spring the question on her. Since Izanami had to work late, though, Hitoshi decided to scrap that idea and do a simple proposal here at his house. Now, even that idea was ruined.

The male doctor let out another sigh as he put away the ice cream and Izanami’s tray. Well, Tsuna may have ruined Hitoshi’s chance to propose tonight, but Hitoshi still had tomorrow. 

“There’s always tomorrow.” he murmured. He felt a surge of determination wash over him. By this time tomorrow, he was going to have Izanami Tanaka as his fiancee!

*~*~*~*~*

“Doctor Tanaka, I need you to promptly go to Italy until further notice.”

“What the fu-!”

Hitoshi bit his tongue before he finished the sentence. He, Izanami, and Gokudera had only arrived at Tsuna’s office moments ago and that one sentence Tsuna muttered was enough to almost send Hitoshi over the edge. He restrained himself, though, because he still wanted to keep his job. 

Confusion crossed Tsuna’s face as he looked at the pair of doctors sitting across from him. Gokudera scowled at the duo from his position standing behind Tsuna. Izanami wore an expression of concern as she leaned over and lightly gripped Hitoshi’s knee.

“Are you okay?” she murmured.

“Is there something wrong, Doctor Sato?” Tsuna asked.

“I’m fine, I’m just… surprised.” Hitoshi said, giving Izanami’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry for interrupting. Please continue, Boss.”

“It’s fine, I was surprised as well.” Tsuna said. “This situation is new to everybody involved.”

“What exactly is ‘this situation’, Tenth?” the female doctor asked as she straightened back up in her chair. “What’s happening in Italy and why do I specifically have to go?”

“The Varia’s doctor has gone missing.” Tsuna said.

“Damn.” Izanami said.

“Xanxus reports that the Varia doctor, Doctor Alessio Ferraro, didn’t show up for his usual shift at 8 AM. He was last seen by a nurse, leaving the Varia’s medical wing at the end of his shift the previous day. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and Doctor Ferraro behaved as he usually did. He’s been missing for 16 hours.” Tsuna stated.

“We think it’s kidnapping, but we’re open to the possibility that Doctor Ferraro defected.” Gokudera said. 

“Right now, the Varia, especially Xanxus, are in an uproar over Doctor Ferraro’s absence. They’re particularly angry with me since I was the one that insisted that they get a doctor to treat them instead of trying to treat their wounds by themselves. They’re worried that their secrets might be leaked and I can’t blame them.” Tsuna explained. “What I need from you, Doctor Tanaka, is to go to the Varia Headquarters and act as a replacement for Doctor Ferraro until we can get this situation sorted out. I need you on your best behavior so that we can help maintain and hopefully mend our strained bond with the Varia.”

“So you want me to do PR and help patients for the Varia?” Izanami asked.

“Essentially, yes.” Tsuna said.

“Haha, fuck nah.”

“What?!” Gokudera exclaimed. “The Tenth just told you you’re going so-”

Tsuna held up his hand, abruptly stopping Gokudera.

“Don’t worry, Gokudera. I can handle this one.” Tsuna said, giving a small smile to his right-hand man. He then turned to the female doctor, his expression strained. Izanami could see hints of irritation creeping onto his face, but she simply stared at Tsuna, her face completely devoid of emotion. 

“Why do you not want to help us with this situation, Doctor Tanaka?” Tsuna questioned.

“For starters, me and the leader of the Varia don’t quite get along. I’m also ass deep in taking care of my patients. Who’s going to be here to help triage all the patients tomorrow that come in from Hibari’s mission?” Izanami said.

“Doctor Sato will be able to-”

“-handle all those patients by himself? I have nothing but faith in his skills, but we’re not sure how many patients will be coming in tomorrow. The prep work might be a one doctor job, but handling them isn’t.”

The level of apprehension in the room dramatically increased. Gokudera and Hitoshi were silent onlookers as they began to watch this unpleasant scene unfold between the Head of the Vongola Famiglia and the Head Doctor of the Vongola.

“Then we’ll call in Doctor Shamal-”

“Shamal? You think Shamal would willing take care of a bunch of men? A bunch of Hibari’s men?” Izanami said, ignoring the suffocating tension and plowing through the conversation with little tact. “Look, Tenth, I understand that the Varia are a part of the Vongola Famiglia, but I think we should focus our efforts on helping our people here before spreading our resources thin in Italy, trying to take care of an independent assassin squad. I r-”

Tsuna slammed his fist on his desk. Gokudera and Hitoshi flinched while Izanami immediately fell silent. 

“I understand that you have your concerns, Doctor Tanaka, but I will not allow you to disrespect my decisions as the head of this family.” Tsuna sternly stated. “I don’t care if the Varia are an independent assassin squad; they’re our family and they need help so we are going to help them. That’s final. Do you understand, Doctor Tanaka, or do I need to repeat myself?”

Izanami’s face was unreadable, but the three men in the room could see the anger burning behind her glasses. However, none of that aggravation was conveyed when the ebony doctor spoke.

“I understand perfectly. I apologize for my transgressions.” Izanami said, her voice too sweet to be sincere. Tsuna did his best to ignore this as the doctor stood to her feet. “If you don’t mind, I have to go prepare for my trip. May Doctor Sato and I be excused?”

“You’re both excused.” Tsuna muttered.

“Thank you, sir.” Izanami said. She paced away and Hitoshi followed. When the two doctors were gone, Tsuna breathed out a sigh.

“Tenth, are you okay? I’m so sorry you had to deal with that.” Gokudera said.

“It’s fine, Gokudera, it’s fine.” Tsuna said, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“What I need you to do now is to pray.” Tsuna said. “Pray that this won’t be the shitshow I think it might end up being.”


	2. The Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... it's been like fifty years since I've uploaded a chapter. Sorry about the wait! Life has been difficult (and that's putting it lightly). I hope everybody's been doing okay and I'm happy that you're reading this chapter. Enjoy!

“I love you.”

“If you love me, you’ll stab me right now.”

“Izanami, no.” 

“If you stab me right now, I won’t be medically fit to fly and I won’t have to leave.”

“I’m not stabbing you in a fucking airport.”

“Then, let’s walk outside so you can do it there.”

“I’m not stabbing you outside either.”

“Come on, I have about thirty knives in my suitcase right. Just grab one and give me a lil poke.”

Hitoshi let out an exasperated sigh as he released Izanami from the tight embrace he had her in. He gave her a stern look as she blankly stared back and readjusted her glasses.

“You’re not supposed to say you have weapons in an airport.” he said quietly. “Why are you even carrying that many knives?”

“Don’t know what Xanxus will do when I get there.” Izanami said. “Gotta be prepared.”

“What did you ever do to Xanxus?” Hitoshi asked. “Why does he hate you in a ‘bring thirty knives to Italy just in case’ kind of way?”

“Promise you won’t freak out when I tell you?” Izanami questioned. A mixture of curiosity and concern crossed Hitoshi’s face.

“Depends on how serious the situation was.” he replied.

“It’s nothing too serious.”

“Okay, let me hear it then.”

“We used to date.”

“WHAT?!”

A gaggle of people, including an airport security guard looked over at the pair.

“Looks like your outburst is going to draw more attention to us than my thirty knives.” Izanami murmured to him.

“You dated Xanxus? The leader of the Varia? You went out with that guy?!” Hitoshi whispered quickly. Izanami nodded.

“Yeah, it was around the time we graduated and started our residencies.” she explained. “It was a series of drunken outings that ended with us in a relationship. We’d drink tequila and whiskey and get into bar fights. Then we’d get into fights with each other and we’d always make-up by-”

Izanami stopped herself mid-sentence when she saw Hitoshi’s face fall.

“Anyways, it was real toxic shit. The last time I interacted with him, we had our worst fight.” Izanami said. “A knockdown, dragout fight. That ass almost took out one of my fucking kidneys, but I almost took out a whole lung, so I guess it’s fair. We have matching scars on our right arms from that situation.”

Izanami pulled off the sleeve of her coat. For once, she was wearing a sleeveless shirt, allowing Hitoshi to see the smooth, darkened edges of a burn scar on the top of her shoulder. The male doctor had seen this scar before, but never paid any mind to it; he had assumed it was just another random scar from one of the numerous fights Izanami had been in. Now, he saw the scar in a different light.

Hitoshi stared at the scar. For once, Izanami felt a little self-conscious underneath her boyfriend’s gaze. She quickly replaced her coat.

“So, yeah, it was a wild ride. I’m happy that it’s over, though.” Izanami said. “And I’m happy I have you now.”

“Y-Y-Yeah… I’m happy to have you, too…” Hitoshi muttered.

“Is… Is there something wrong?”

“N-No, it’s just a lot of info to take in…” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it was going to be that big of a deal. I wouldn’t ha-”

“Nonono! I-It’s not that big of a deal…”

“You’re not really acting like it…”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair. The world continued to bustle around the two of them, but it looked as though they were frozen in time. 

All the insecurities Izanami had about Hitoshi seeing her as a drunk came bubbling to the surface. Izanami didn’t care to remember that catastrophe of a relationship that she had with Xanxus; it was a complete clusterfuck of unhealthy emotions and habits. She hoped that Hitoshi would disregard that chapter in her life, but from his expression, it looked like he wasn’t going to. She didn’t want him to look at her like the shambling mess that was still dating Xanxus when she was actually the loving woman that wanted to marry Hitoshi.

Hitoshi was doing his best to reign in his emotions. He had asked for Izanami for the reason why Xanxus didn’t get along with her and he got it; he just didn’t expect it to be because her and Xanxus had some weird, rage-induced, alcohol-fueled fling. Hitoshi admired the fact that Izanami had come so far with her sobriety, but he wasn’t sure how well she’d be able to handle herself when her toxic ex and reconciliation with said toxic ex were thrown into the equation. The fact that Izanami even had to attempt to reconcile with Xanxus was frightening in itself. How was Izanami going to quell the anger and wrath of Xanxus, who was probably still pissed from his and Izanami’s last encounter? He knew Izanami was strong, but he also knew that Xanxus wasn’t a pushover. He feared that she might be inadvertently sending her to get into a devastating fight, as per Tsuna’s orders. Now that he thought about it, did Tsuna know about all of this? He had to have known about Xanxus and Izanami’s shared history to send her. He could have easily sent Hitoshi, somebody with no bad blood with the Varia, but here he was, sending off Izanami to Italy. The whole situation just made his blood boil.

“Oh, excuse us! Sorry!”

A woman rushing past with her children accidentally bumped into Hitoshi. The momentary intrusion snapped the two doctors out of their thoughts. The pair uncomfortably gazed at each other. Izanami broke the deadlock by hugging Hitoshi. The green-eyed swordsman gladly reciprocated.

“I should get going I guess…” Izanami said quietly.

“Y-Yeah, you probably should,” Hitoshi mumbled.

“You know I love you, too, right?” she said.

“Yeah, I do.” Hitoshi murmured, as he buried his face into her aqua locks.

“Everything’s going to be okay, right?” Izanami asked.

“That’s right.” Hitoshi replied. He released her. They quickly said their good-byes and Izanami was on her way. Hitoshi watched Izanami’s form join the long lines forming to go through airport security, a sense of dread starting to build. Even though the two of them had agreed that everything was fine, Hitoshi couldn’t help shake the feeling of unease that had settled in his stomach.

*~*~*~*~*

“Doctor Sato, we have multiple burn victims coming in!”

“Handle the most severe burns right now. Get cool water on the less severe cases until we can treat them more thoroughly. Don’t use ice!”

“There’s about twelve people coming in with gunshot wounds!”

“Cut off the blood supply to the affected areas. If the wounds are superficial, patch them up and send them off. If there’s a bullet still lodged inside, we’re going to have to figure out if it’s even possible to remove.”

“I’ve got a guy with both of his arms broken. His ankle might be messed up, too.”

“Make sure everything is immobilized and send him off to get x-rayed.”

“Doctor Sato, the Lightning Guardian, Lambo, is here. He’s crying about a papercut?”

“Tell him to fuck off! Nobody has time for him!”

“But Doctor Sato, he says it’s really bad and he’s crying.”

“UGH, FINE. Wipe it off with an alcohol swab, slap some Neosporin on it, and wrap it in a bandaid.”

Hitoshi was sprinting around the Vongola hospital ward, assisting nurses with treatments, helping numerous patients, and filling out prescriptions and referrals. He hadn’t stopped since he arrived from dropping Izanami off at the airport that morning. Instead of coming in during the evening, Hibari’s subordinates arrived early in the afternoon, giving Hitoshi very little time to prepare the unit and the hospital personnel. He and the staff played it by ear, handling wave after wave of Hibari’s men as they flooded into the unit to the best of their abilities.

It took hours for the hospital wing to finally calm down. Hitoshi ambled to his office and plopped down in his swivel chair. He stared absently at the ceiling for a while before turning his attention to collecting his belongings. He needed to head home and sleep off all the negative feelings this day had brought. The last 24 hours had been complete crap. He didn’t get to propose to Izanami and on top of that, she was now hurtling towards her ex-boyfriend who could want to kill her. And this was all because their boss thought this was the best plan.

“Doctor Sato?”

Speak of the devil. Hitoshi instantly recognized Tsuna’s voice and turned his attention to the door. The Tenth Generation Boss was standing there, a gentle smile on his face. Hitoshi’s frown furrowed even more.

“I hope you don’t mind me dropping in.” Tsuna said as he entered the room. “I just wanted to stop by and check on how you were doing.”

“Things are fine.” Hitoshi said shortly. 

“That’s good to hear. I know it must have been difficult to deal with this without Doctor Tanaka here, but I appreciate your efforts.” Tsuna said. “I also apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused you.”

“You have no idea how much of an ‘inconvenience’ this was.” Hitoshi snapped.

“Excuse me?” Tsuna said, slightly stunned at the sass Hitoshi was giving him. Tsuna had caught flak from the Varia and from Izanami, but he wasn’t expecting to get it from Hitoshi, too. Was the decision he made really that controversial? “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You know what? Let’s not get into this. It’s whatever, Boss. Just… please leave.”

“No, Doctor Sato, I’d appreciate it if you just told-”

“No, I don’t feel like-

“No, please tell me what’s-”

“Boss, could you not? I’m really trying not-”

“Doctor Sato, please talk to-”

“BOSS, LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE. GOD DAMN!”

Tsuna was shocked into silence by Hitoshi’s outburst.

“I’M PISSED, DON’T YOU GET THAT? PISSED THAT I GOT MY ASS BLASTED BY THIS DAY BECAUSE WE WERE UNDERSTAFFED AND UNDERPREPARED. PISSED THAT YOU INTERRUPTED MY PROPOSAL LAST NIGHT-” 

Horror momentarily streaked across Tsuna’s face.

“Your proposal?”

“YES, MY FUCKING PROPOSAL TO IZANAMI. YOU HAVE THE SHITTIEST TIMING IN THE WORLD. IF YOU HAD WAITED A COUPLE FUCKING MINUTES I WOULD HAVE BEEN SENDING OFF MY FIANCEE TO ITALY.” Hitoshi bellowed. “BUT NO. I HAD TO SEND MY GIRLFRIEND OFF TO SEE HER ANGRY ASS EX. DID YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT HER SAFETY WHEN YOU MADE THAT DECISION? HOW ANYBODY WOULD FUCKING FEEL? HOW I WOULD FEEL? BUT NOW, AFTER ALL YOUR CRAPPY DECISIONS, NOW, AFTER ALL THIS BULLSHIT, YOU HAVE THE FUCKING AUDACITY TO ASK ME HOW I’M DOING. YOU KNOW WHAT, BOSS...”

Hitoshi grabbed his briefcase and quickly made his way to the door.

“I. Feel. PEACHY.”

Hitoshi stormed out of his office leaving a completely stupefied Tsuna in his wake. The green-eyed swordsman knew he was going to catch hell tomorrow for yelling at Tsuna. Whether it be from the Vongola Boss himself or from the very protective Storm Guardian was up to the universe to decide. Hitoshi chuckled to himself. The ass thrashing he was going to receive tomorrow was going to suck. 

“Might as well have some fun before I have another shitty day...” Hitoshi murmured to himself. He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. Aside from Izanami, there was probably only one person he could tolerate right now.

“Hey, Yamamoto? Are you free?”

*~*~*~*~*

“I fucking hate this.” Izanami murmured to herself as she stood on the curb at the airport. The flight was rough and it stretched on for what felt like forever. Izanami already felt crappy; she had had plenty of time to overthink her last interaction with Hitoshi. Now, she was here, waiting to be driven to one of the shittiest jobs she had ever been tasked with. 

Within a few minutes of waiting, an all black vehicle rolled up. Izanami knew immediately that this car was for her. A tall, mustached man with spiky hair stepped out of the driver’s side and approached Izanami. 

“Doctor Izanami Tanaka.” he stated. 

“That’s me. And who are you?”

“Levi-A-Than of the Varia. I was sent by the Boss to pick you up.” he replied. Levi quickly looked Izanami over. From the description and blurry photo of Izanami that was given to him, Levi would have never guessed she was so…

“... c-cute.” Levi murmured.

“Did you say something?” Izanami asked. 

“Ah, n-no. I just… I’ll put your bags in the car.” Levi stammered, a slight blush forming on his cheeks. Izanami stared blankly at the spiky-haired man before sitting down in the passenger seat. Levi quickly placed her belongings in the trunk and began driving to the base. The car made its way out of the city and into the lush, green countryside. Izanami had been to the Varia mansion in the past and she didn’t dread it as much as she did now. 

The car ride was filled with silence, partially because Levi couldn’t form a coherent thought around a cute woman and partially because Izanami simply didn’t want to be bothered. After a quiet hour drive, the pair arrived outside of the Varia mansion.

Izanami stepped out of the car. When she moved towards the trunk to grab her luggage, the Varia member assured the female doctor that he would get her belongings to her room.

“The Boss said he wanted to see you when you got here. His office is on the second floor, past the sitting room. You can’t miss it.” he said. 

Izanami gave a grunt of thanks in response and followed Levi’s instructions. Before her was a large mahogany door. Izanami knocked firmly on the wooden surface. The bespectacled doctor was about to announce herself but was cut off when she heard the leader of the Varia loudly state, “Enter.” from inside. 

Izanami scoffed. He didn’t even know who was entering the office. The confidence that this guy had. Hell, it wasn’t even confidence; it was straight cockiness.

Pushing the thought aside, Izanami stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Surprisingly, the office wasn’t the dark den that Izanami had imagined. It was well lit by the sunshine beaming in from the numerous windows that lined the left side of the room. Lining the right side of the room were towering bookshelves that were packed with hardcover books. Arm chairs, couches, and coffee tables were scattered throughout the sprawling office, discreetly outlining a path to the back of the room along with an ornate rug to blatantly mark the way. At the end of the path, was a mahogany desk set in front of a wall full of weapons and a portrait. Pictured in the portrait was the same man sitting at the desk with his feet propped up on its wooden surface: Xanxus.

“I’m trying to reconcile. I’m a good doctor trying to do good things.” Izanami thought as she crossed the floor, trying to urge herself into a more positive mindset. The ebony woman stood in front of Xanxus, clasping her hands in front of herself in a non-threatening manner. Even though he didn’t spare the doctor a glance, she still forced a smile to her face.

“Hello, Xanxus, it’s been awhile. I’m here to-”

“Cut the shit, Tanaka. I’m not falling for your crap.”

“Well, screw you, too, my guy.”

The facade Izanami presented quickly fell, her smile replaced with her usual deadpan expression. 

“Let’s cut to the chase…” Xanxus said as he sat up. “I don’t want you here.”

“Good, we’re on the same fucking page.” Izanami said.

“Good, then stay out of my fucking way. Stay out of my team’s way.” Xanxus said. “I don’t want to hear shit from you or about you.”

“So, what? You just want me to sit in my fucking room all day and twiddle my thumbs until my time here is up?” Izanami snapped.

“Exactly.”

Izanami laughed.

“I’m not sure what bullshit you’re on, but you need to get off it real quick.” she said. “I didn’t come here just to sit around. I’m here to do my fucking jo-”

Xanxus slammed his hands on the desk as he rose to full height.

“You think being the Varia doctor is your job now? Having a fucking doctor got us into this shit in the first place!” Xanxus growled. “There’s no way in hell that I’d trust a new doctor, especially some drunk bitch, with the safety of this squad. So, you want to know what your job is for the duration of your trip, Doctor Izanami Tanaka? Your job is to shut the fuck up and leave the Varia alone. Got it?”

By the time Xanxus had finished his rant, Izanami’s hands were clenched into fists and her eyes were burning with anger. In the past 24 hours, she had been yelled at by two Mafia bosses for something she didn’t even want to be involved with and she was livid. She wanted to pull one of the knives from her coat and have Xanxus sit and twirl on it. Izanami, however, reigned in her anger and buried the dark desire deep in her soul. She blinked and the rage that once consumed her indigo orbs vanished into her usual dead eyes. The bespectacled doctor unfurled her fists and took a deep breath.

Izanami was a respectable doctor now. Was she the nicest or the kindest? If Izanami was completely honest with herself, no, not by a long shot. She was, however, not the same “drunk bitch” that Xanxus remembered and she wasn’t going to give him the pleasure of seeing her angrily try to take out his lung again. She was given a mission and, while the mission completely sucked, she wasn’t going to stop until she had completed it.

“Understood, Xanxus. I’ll stay out of your way. If you say you don’t need a doctor, you don’t need a doctor.” Izanami said. “Could I ask for one favor, though?”

“What?”

“That, if anybody comes to me to be treated, I’m allowed to treat them.”

Xanxus scoffed.

“As if anybody would need your help.”

“I’m taking that as a yes?” Izanami asked.

“It’s a get the fuck out of my face, trash.” he said, before plopping down in his swivel chair. “Now, piss off.”

“Gladly.” Izanami said as she turned on her heel and headed out. As she opened the office door, she paused. 

“I’m sorry to bother you again, Xanxus, but there’s one thing I forgot to say.” Izanami said.

“What?”

“Fuck you.”

And with that, Izanami slammed the door behind her and went on her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this chapter was tough to type. The shenanigans begins in the next chapter, though, and I'm super excited to write about that! Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> *sprinkles a lil dash of angst on my storyline* Gotta use different seasonings to keep things spicy. Kudos and comments are appreciated! Thanks for reading!


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